Listening test advice

Follow this Listening test advice, and make sure you understand how to respond to 'completion' type questions.

You will be given time to read through the questions before you listen. You will hear each recording of the Listening test only once.

As you listen, write your answers on the question paper. At the end of the test, you will have 10 minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet in pencil. You may write your answers in lower case or capital letters.

It is essential that you transfer your answers to the answer sheet. Nothing you write on the question paper will be marked.

Make the most of your Listening test:

if you cannot hear the audio clearly, let a member of staff know straightaway

follow the instructions carefully; they may be different to practice or previous tests

listen for the specific information you want

try and anticipate what the speaker will say; this will require concentration

do not worry if there is a word you do not understand; you may not need to use it

if you do not know the answer to a question, attempt it but do not waste time; move quickly onto the next one

be careful with your spelling and grammar

do not panic if you think the topic is too difficult or the speaker is too fast; relax and tune in

read, write and listen at the same time

focus precisely on what you are asked to do in completion type questions

pay attention to the word limit; for example, if you are asked to complete a sentence using no more than two words, if the correct answer is ‘leather coat’, the answer ‘coat made of leather’ would be incorrect

if the question asks you to complete the note ‘in the…’ and the correct answer is ‘morning’, note that ‘in the morning’ would be incorrect; the correct answer is 'morning'